The Value Of Sleep

Proper rest regulates weight, undoes depression, and keeps heart disease at bay. But if you're like most people, sleep is probably considered more of a luxury than a necessity. You may, like many others, sacrifice the time your body and mind need to replenish themselves, to get just a bit of extra work done here and there, but at what cost?

Lack of sleep can cause mood disturbances, increase pain, and even increase your risk of developing diabetes.A poll in 2007 conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 60 percent of American women get a sufficient night's rest only a few times per week or less, though 8 hours of sleep per night is essential for maximum health.

So how do we get back on track?
Better diet, and remodeling your habits are two surefire ways to re-acclimate your body and mind to operating on a full night of sleep. Habits take 21 days to become set into one's mind. Keeping this in mind, you can create a schedule for yourself that involves better management of time that strictly calls lights out at a non-negotiable time for at least a month to allow the pattern to establish itself in your nightly routine.

Set your alarm to go off an hour before your designated bedtime as a cue that you have an hour to get there.

Wind down during that hour after taking care of any last minute house duties, and/or hygienic rituals.

Your body begins to prepare itself for sleep well in advance of your awareness by producing the sleep chemical adenosine, while you're still awake. When you don't get enough sleep, the adenosine stays with you, keeping you drowsy. Some say this is a building of 'sleep debt'.
When the sun sets, your eyes take notice, and the body cues the pineal gland when it gets the signal from your eyes that light is dimming, at which point it secretes melatonin, to increase drowsiness.

Drowsiness can be overcome however, by a willful person intent on finishing up that last report for the following morning, or staying up to watch syndicated sitcoms to catch up on entertainment missed during the day. In cases where one finds themselves very undisciplined or plagued by thought to the extent that they can't relax into sleep, there are natural alternatives.
Natural sleep aids like Melatonin, or Valerian root can assist you in getting your required amount of sleep, as can the aroma-therapeutic benefits of Lavender, when sprayed upon a pillow, or added to a diffuser.



Source:
Natural health Magazine, June 2008